The Paranormal

 

Ever since I was little, I was taught that there was a place where souls went after departing from the world of the living. I am sure that you have heard of a place, too; whether you have been told that the dead go to heaven or they go to hell, does not matter -- they simply “go”. Have you ever heard someone talking about ghost stories? Maybe in Halloween or when you go camping with your friends, when you sit around a camp fire to share incredibly terrifying stories about the girl that died in your house and you sometimes see through the corner of your eye when there is no one in the house? Yes, those stories. Have you heard of any in particular that has made you think that perhaps there is life after death?

I have seen my share of specters. I was born in a South-American country, Colombia. In third-world countries like those, faith is the most powerful element. I am not a religious or superstitious person, however I do like to fool myself into being a tad gullible, just to make the day seem more interesting – make that movie that is our lives, be a little more exciting. Faith is very respectful of the recently deceased, so it is only normal that there be many ceremonies for commemorating the dead.

In rural areas such as the one where I lived, there were many myths and legends, each had its own story and moral, but along with myths and legends, came speculation. Speculation of what, you ask? There were rumors about ghosts haunting house, or trying to send a message to their loved ones from the other side.

I previously mentioned that I am in charge of the Saints of Phoenix Paranormal Society. I founded the group in 2005, and during the past five years, I’ve had to disband and reform the group several times to renew the system we use, and to better organize ourselves. My experiences are limited to my home country and Florida, but I really wish that one day I may be able to travel around the world and visit famous haunted places.

While I am currently waiting for editors and literary agents to reply to my queries on Feather Spade I began to develop a story that is made up of many paranormal traits, maybe some day that story, which I have not finished writing yet, will stand next to Feather Spade in a bookshelf of a Barnes & Noble. Who knows what the future may hold for us, maybe your book will stand next to mine.

Have you ever had any paranormal experiences? Or have you heard any experiences your friends or relatives may have had? I am interested in reading about those, please share with us, either through the Official James Fenix Fan Page on facebook or by commenting here! Remember to tell your friends about this blog, whether they are aspiring authors or they just want something to entertain them. Also, you can follow my blog if you have a yahoo email account, or you can just follow the Fan Page by clicking the “Like” tab.

That is all for this week,

Your writer,

James Fenix

 

P.S. Check soon for the James Fenix webpage.

Visions of the Future

 

When someone asks you about your plans for the future, how do you respond? More importantly, what goes through your mind as the word future just hits you without a warning? What is your drive to achieve the goals you have set up for the future?

Whenever someone asks me about my future, I say, “I’ve seen it, not clearly, but I have, seems like the only thing I have to worry about is how I get there.” Cryptic answer, isn’t it? That’s exactly what I thought when I asked a tarot reading about my future. A lot of times we are under pressure to think about our future, whether it is from parents, or friends; teachers or…you (yes, there is no bigger pressure than that you put over your own shoulders).

Believe it or not, those questions can be quite stressful. You’ll start feeling frustrated because you think that you are letting a lot of people down “I said I would do” this and that “to” whoever. Other times you will feel disappointed that you have not done enough to reach the goal you have set for yourself. But the bottom line is, the only person you have to answer to is yourself, who cares what others want you to be. What do you want to be? Don’t think about the future for others, think about the future for you and when you feel disappointed with yourself, just remember that you are only human and there is only so much you can do before you start hearing a siren going off in your head warning you that there is a nervous breakdown coming up ahead. If you know you can do better, then push yourself to do better, continue walking that path and don’t be influenced by people that have given up on their lives.

Why am I sharing all this with you? Because I built this space to speak to you, tell you not just about my book, but to open my mind to you.

Once again, I beg of you not to feel bad about tripping while you walk towards those wonderful goals you all have set up. You just have to get up and keep on walking, and if you feel you can’t walk anymore, tell yourself that’s a lie and keep going; continue walking even if your body is screaming, begging you to stop. We all have to make sacrifices to reach our dreams, to get where we want to go.

To those of us that are just starting to feel tired from all that walking, remember to put more effort into it, don’t give up, crawl if you must, but continue! Let’s pursue those dreams, let’s seize the day and march down our paths with the assurance that all this work we have put into reaching those dreams, will be worth it once we get there.

About Feather Spade, I have not heard from agents in a couple of weeks, I still have some queries out and I’m waiting for September to mail out some more. There might be a new project in the works, but I will not go into anymore details. I’m only one man, can’t keep track of all the things that are in my mind. Reminds me that I need an organizer.

All right everyone, that’s it for today, I will continue to keep you posted on anything Feather Spade related. Tell your friends that if they need some advice, or they just want to venture into another’s mind, to pull up those browsers and check out my blog.

If you wish me to address a certain topic, or simply have any questions, please be kind enough to visit the Official James Fenix Fan Page in facebook. Until next week,

I’m your writer,

James Fenix

An August Return!

 

Welcome to August my loyal readers, please accept my apologies for the long absences. I would like to update that Feather Spade remains without an agent, the rejection letters have stopped landing in my mailbox and E-mail  inbox, which means that the rest of the queries will more than likely, take months to be replied or will never be replied. I keep hoping that the story grabs the attention of an agent. I would like to restate that I will not give up on this book as it is a priceless treasure, which I hold dear.

At this time I cannot make up my mind what topic for discussion, but a promise that later this week I will have something that will entertain, surprise, and delight you all.

Your Writer,

James Fenix

Another Absence

 

Hello my loyal readers,

I am very sorry I have not updated this space in two weeks, I’ve been busy, working and tending to my academic duties.

Feather Spade remains without an agent, I have a few replies (all of which are rejections ranging from a tiny note to two sentences). I keep hoping that I will soon find my agent, my guide, my partner throughout this journey.

I am sorry to inform that yours truly is in for another long absence starting this week. As I’ve previously mentioned, my economic status is not the best and therefore I’m lucky to be updating you guys once every two weeks. I continue to do my hardest to keep you engaged in this journey to publish Feather Spade.

I will do my best to keep you updated in the next few weeks as I believe I will have more queries answered during that time.

Thank you for being so patient with me,

Your Writer,

James Fenix

Words of a Phoenix

Welcome to July,

 

Hello my followers, I have two sets of news; some good news and some not-so-good news. Whichever shall I give first?

Not-so-good News: So far I’ve been rejected by 3 agents, and one unconfirmed but certain rejection. That’s okay, though! I still have more than a dozen queries out (most snail mail so it could take a while) and one that I have not sent out because of my schedule.

Well James, what are the good news?

The good news is that I’m here (most likely) for another month. I’ve been working hard to keep going in this tough economy. I’m working even harder to keep Feather Spade alive. Don’t worry, Feather Spade will live longer than I.

I will continue to keep you posted, in the mean time, have a wonderful summer, enjoy July and for those of us in the United States, enjoy the Fourth of July weekend for me, please?

I’ll catch up with you guys later.

Your writer,

James Fenix

Words of a Phoenix

Bad News

Hello my followers,

I'm afraid I must chime in with grim news. I do not speak about my life outside of Feather Spade all that much, but I must confess that I (like many others living in the United States at the moment) am suffering through this economic depression. I am afraid that soon I might have to cut down on the internet bill (yes, we might be separated for a while). I will keep you updated with whatever happens, just remember that I am trying my hardest to continue being your author and continue the journey to publish Feather Spade. I will not give up, not now, not ever. This seems to be another test of character I must face. If I have disappointed any of you, in any way, I apologize.

I will try to keep you updated. I'm sorry I didn't have better news.

Your author,

James Fenix

Sneak Peek at Feather Spade

 

Good day my faithful readers,

This last week, yours truly was stuck with dictionaries (for spell checking) and a red pen (which I don’t use those often) for correcting the mistakes on my, yet to be sent, query letter. The process of publishing is slow as I may have already explained, but we can never be too cautious. We want the agent or editor, we have chosen, to want to read the text we have worked so hard to put together and not squirm in pain with silly mistakes.

I have decided to give you a small peek at Feather Spade. Although it is only a small passage of a 98,800 word novel, I hope you enjoy it.

Robin felt as if he were completely vulnerable; as if he had no clothes, no hair, no skin, no muscles, no bones, no organs, no cells, and no soul. He felt as if he was nothing but an empty shell. His body became numb, and his mind was naught. He could have died that moment and he would not have been aware of it. He felt as if he had a hole through which the knowledge of his self was gushing out.

The above passage was an excerpt from Feather Spade’s Chapter Six: Twenty-One Years of Lies. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. If you have any comments, feel free to leave them, I enjoy seeing my work from the point of view of others.

I have to go back to that query I’ve been “decorating” with red ink. I will continue to keep you posted with the latest in this journey to publishing. Thank you for reading the words of this phoenix.

Your writer,

James Fenix